Hamish X and the Hollow Mountain Read online

  63 Etiquette is another word for “manners.” It is shortened from the French words être une racquette. Literally translated, this means “to be a racquet.” Tennis was so important to the Kings of Renaissance France that King Louis the Thirteenth dressed his entire court as tennis racquets. Appearing this way in public was deemed to be the height of fashion and grace. The hopeful dressed as tennis racquets and hung around, hoping the King would notice them. For some reason, the term came to be synonymous with politeness. Words are weird. The word synonymous is worth a whole footnote on its own but I don’t have time right now. Get a dictionary.